Panel Session
Pitching Future Marketing Concepts

Some agencies are winning big new accounts on their perceived ability to embrace the new rules, and some agencies are winning great accolades for their innovative approach, this panel investigates the fundamental issues and asks client what solutions they expect their agencies to be providing them with.

My take:
I thought this was about the future of marketing? Where did the future part go? The guy from P&G says that one of the best things to have are case studies to help sell things in. How can you do case studies on products/ideas that are new & innovative, ie: future-oriented. Most of the content from this panel, with the notable exception of Philip Dowgeird from Greenroom, could be recycled from 20 years ago and you would never know the difference.

I sense a lot of fear among all the panellists from the ensemble of sessions. What is it? Are they nervous? Do the not have any new ideas? Where is the innovation and forward thinking?

This whole thing is much to safe to be of much value.

The panel:
Sheryl Norman – Head of Integrated Marketing Services Coca Cola
Tom Barker – Global Partnerships Manager Xbox
Mark Boyd – Director of Content BBH
Andrew Wilkie – Managing Director Gum
Philip Dowgeird – Head of Strategy Greenroom Digital
David Weaver – Strategy – Procter & Gamble
Moderated by Scott Goodson http://www.strawberryfrog.com

You have a great idea. How do you pitch it, internally or externally?

SN: Internally, at Coca-Cola GB, we focus Visualization enough to bring the product to life, especially if it is different or innovative. Sell-in job is important.

MB: Pitching is about the relationship. Person needs to buy into you as much as they are buying into your concept. People need to have developed key language. Focus on particular words. Trust factors. Simplistically, it must answer these three questions: 1) What is it. 2) What does it cost? 3) How many people does it reach? Ned to know who you are pitching. Are they senior enough? Do they have the authority? Faith and belief in ideas.

AW: We’re new kids on the block – only 6 months old. Very difficult to sell something to someone who doesn’t know that’s what they want. One thing we did when we set up the company was to ensure a knowledge structure and a robust framework/backend behind it. We created a network of 500 people (artists, mucicians, etc.) to get feedback on the concepts that we were thinking about.

PD: Several of us came from traditional agencies. We try to do new things, but there is always a risk of new/innovative ideas being seen as tangential to the main work being done. It is down to the relationship. Knowing the motivation of the client is of equal important. Putting together a business case is the next step. What will this thing do for the company?

DW: On a daily basis, our retained agencies are always pitching us ideas. What makes them successful? The consumer focus is pivotal. Successful pitches integrate the consumer: This is how your consumer is thinking. This is how your consumer will be receptive to this idea. The best ones also happen when there is an advocate within the company. Foster the passion within the organization.

TB: MS is a product company, not really a marketing company. The best pitches are those which understand the business need and the consumer. You won’t get through the door if you can’t demonstrate that you understand the business model. Once you’re in, you need to find an advocate inside the organization. We do media plans before we do the creative.

How do you show/demonstrate it?

AW: Every project is different. What we’ve done is add process.

TB: Richer deeper more meaningful experiences are more difficult to measure.

DW: Case studies are powerful. Track things. P&G gets nervous with dramatic shifts into new directions. Better to start with tests and get bigger from there.

What have you done to keep an idea alive?

MB: Sometimes it is very hard. You can’t do something now, and when it comes time to be able to do it, people say, “Well that’s really old.” What do you do in situations like this.

PD: It is our job to keep the enthusiasm on the table. If business objectives change, that’s one thing.

AW: If the idea is right, then there needs to be an equivalent about of passion.

TB: If an ad is created in one location, it is sent around to other markets to see what people think. MS also tries to develop work in different locations to spread the creative feel to other locations.